Lessons
by MsLanna
Summary: Ben Skywalker gets his first lessons in driving a landspeeder. Things are not that easy, though. This is AU.


**Timeframe:** NJO  
**Characters: **Luke, Mara, teenaged Ben  
**Genre: **AU, humorous action  
**Keywords: **driving lessons,  
**Summary:** Ben gets his first lessons in driving a landspeeder. Things are not that easy, though.  
**Notes:** This is a fic gift. The requirements were:

_The three characters: Luke, Mara, and a teenaged Ben_

1) The Vong never happened  
2) Luke and Mara are teaching Ben to drive a speeder  
3) I'll leave it up to the writer how everything goes

Lessons

Luke Skywalker sincerely wished he had settled down on Yavin. It would have made many things much easier, and it would have completely thwarted this. But Naboo had seemed a logical and beautiful choice. He did not want to return to Tatooine for good, and Alderaan had been destroyed so long ago. So he and Leia had decided to settle down on their mother's home planet. They seldom regretted their choice. Mara could pretend not to worry, but he knew that she would be unbearable, should something happen to Ben. Which was quite possible, considering that Anakin Solo had had his hands the speeder just the night before.

Ben on the other hand, grinned like a Wookiee with a lockjaw. "Don't stand around like that, dad, you hedged enough for one day!"

"Your mom doesn't like this," Luke replied, looking back over his shoulder. Mara stood in the door, her face a mix of concern and frustration.

"Sure doesn't," Ben laughed. "If she wasn't pushing that Death Star along in front of her, she'd be doing this. And she might just be better at it, too." He felt tempted to stick his tongue out in a gesture of childish glee, but Mara's moods had become really unreliable lately. Her sudden eruptions strained the relationship, and Ben was sure he'd never have children, if he'd have to endure such bundle of cranky moods for his wife. Sometimes he wondered how his dad managed, but it had probably to do with love.

Nothing was further from Ben's mind than that right now. Finally, he would get taught how to fly a speeder proper. Maybe his parents had heard enough rumours by now, uncle Anakin had been teaching him for ages already, and though they had never left the premises of the Skywalker household, Ben felt confident about his abilities. Manoeuvring in such enclosed spaces just had to be easier that driving on streets.

To his disappointment, Luke steered the speeder away from the city, out into the plains. _What kind of challenge could there be in the flat field?_ Ben wondered. _I will certainly get bored._

"Here we are," Luke said stopping the speeder. There was only grass to be seen all around them. It rippled softly in the warm summer breeze, and on the horizon the last outskirts of Theed were just visible.

"Dad," Ben moaned. "There is _nothing _here. How am I to learn anything?"

"Ben," Luke turned to face his son, his expression serious. "Don't think, we didn't know what you and Anakin were doing behind our backs."

"Don't tell me you waited until your uncle showed you how to fly," the young red head accused. "I bet-"

"I didn't, you're right." Luke had to suppress a smile. "Still, you could just have come and asked us."

"Dad!" Ben wailed.

"But you didn't. So I assume you have never sat in the cockpit of a speeder before." He got up to change seats with his son.

Beat, Ben followed suit. He wondered how it came that most people thought of his father as a gentle and just man. He was definitely as devious as his mom, and you did not expect it from him, too. It seemed so unfair.

"So, this," Luke said pointing after they had strapped in, "is the ignition. And over there -"

"I know, I know," Ben interrupted, and took off with full throttle. Before he could race into a tight curve, though, he felt his father's foot stomping down on his over the brakes. At the same time, Luke grabbed the wheel, holding it straight.

"Not so fast, young man," Luke chided. "this is your first lesson, after all."

"But I already can fly, dad, really," Ben insisted. "If you'll just let me show you-"

"I want you to learn something, Ben," Luke interrupted him.

"Oh, great," his son sighed. Lessons from his father could be difficult. Sometimes, just when you thought you knew what he was aiming at, he went for something completely different.

"So, back to the basics. Ignition, steering wheel, brakes with the right foot, acceleration with the right." Luke pointed everything out while talking. "I want you to start the speeder now, drive a few feet and stop again. Is that clear?"

"Yessir," Ben mumbled. This was no fun at all. Still he did just what his father had asked.

"That wasn't too difficult now?"

"No." _The only difficult thing right now,_ Ben grumbled inwardly,_ was listening to the lectures of his father instead of racing over the green plains._

"Do it again then, and we'll get to turning off."

There was a lot of turning off right and left, not forgetting to signal first and looking around carefully as not to run over any imaginary pedestrians. Ben was indeed bored. Finally, Luke set up two poles and had him park the speeder between them from all angles. _Nothing I haven't done a gazillion times before,_ Ben thought while he did as told.

"So what do you think the lesson was?" Luke asked him after putting down the poles again..

"Patience?" Ben volunteered tentatively.

Luke shook his head.

"Humility?"

"Ben," Luke's voice was soft but strained. "I'm your father. If you want to fly a landspeeder, you can come to me anytime and just ask. If you had done that half a year ago, you'd be speeding away on your own already." He laid his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Got it," the teenager mumbled.

"Good," Luke smiled. "So get us to the outskirts of Theed - in a civilised way, mind you - and tomorrow I'll show you how to do jumps with this thing.."

Ben's mood lifted visibly. He started up the speeder again and sped off towards the city.

Of course, Luke took over the wheel as soon the they returned to populated areas. Ben laid his elbows on the door and put his chin on them. Thinking how things would have turned out if his mom had been in charged, he sighed. His parents were just too agreed about his raising sometimes. He wondered if anything about that would change once little Padmé was around. Not that she'd be a big help for the first years.

When they arrived, little Padmé was awaiting them at the door in her mother's Death Star sized belly. Once he had heard that women just about to give birth were supposed to rest in bed, but Ben doubted that anything short of the birth itself could make Mara lie down for longer.

"You're wanted, Skywalker," she called to them. "Seems like the queen's offspring is doing mightily interesting stuff. They want you to check her for force-sensitivity."

Luke frowned, glancing his wife up and down. "Are you sure it cannot wait? You are about to-"

"Farmboy, when I say you have the time, you have it." Mara was firm.

"I just don't want to miss the birth of my second child as well," he insisted. "Last time-"

"Last time you were about saving the galaxy. It makes for a good story and I'm sure Ben understands and is grateful," she gave her son a stern glace.

"Sure," Ben replied dutifully. "Would have been hard to grow up without a galaxy around to do so in."

"See, all sorted. Now hurry and everything will be fine."

With a sigh, Luke went up to his wife and put his arms around her. "I wonder how other men stand it," he whispered into her ear, "when their wives turn back to 'normal' after the birth. I'd never want you to change a bit." Gently he kissed her.

"You're impossible, Skywalker," Mara chided with a smile, when they finally finished.

"I love you, too," he replied, resting his hand on her taut belly. Then he returned to the speeder and took off.

"So, how was your first lesson?" Mara asked, putting her arm around Ben's shoulders.

"Mom, please," he rolled his eyes. "You got me, alright?"

"Alright." She patted his shoulder.

"I'll take a cup of hot chocolate, though." He turned to prepare the sweet, dark drink. He was about to pour hot milk into the cup, when a sound like 'hnargh' came from Mara.

"Mom, are you alright?" Ben turned.

"No," she snapped, "do I _look _alright?" Mara was doubled over her belly as far as she could, holding it tightly with both arms. "And, incidentally, that is my amniotic fluid you're standing in."

Automatically, Ben tried to jump backwards with a disgusted 'ew', but the sink was in his way. His back connected to it's lip painfully, before he realized that Mara had exaggerated. Though there was some liquid pooling next to her feet, it was far from reaching him.

"I'll comm dad," he said, darting away.

Ben punched the quickdail of Luke's comm and waited. Nothing, after long seconds, finally, Luke's image appeared.

"Hello, I am Luke Skywalker. Unfortunately, I'm currently busy, but if I can help you later, please, leave your name and number. I'd gladly get back to you."

"Dad!" Ben sputtered forth. "Little Padmé is coming, mom's having contractions and there that yukky fluidity thing all over the kitchen floor." He gulped for air. "We need to go to the hospital, just come!"

He cut the connection and dialled Leia and Han. "Hello," a picture of Han with his arm around Leia came up. "You are connected to the Organa Solo's, but we're flown out."

"Where IS everybody?" Ben cried, disconnecting the line. "Mom?"

There was no answer, and when he hurried back into the kitchen, Mara was gone.

_She wouldn't,_ Ben thought frantically, and ran for the garage. But she was. So far, Mara had not made it to the driver's seat. Clutching the side of the speeder, she waited for another contraction to pass. Ben shook his head in disbelief.

"You get on the passenger's seat," he told his mother, taking her by the arm. As gentle as he could, he manoeuvred her into the seat, strapping her in. The he jumped on the driver's seat and started the engines. _Nothing I've not done before_, he told himself, as he slowly drove to the gate. He set the indicator to the right and looked for an opening in the traffic.

"Have you driven in traffic before?" Mara asked him.

Ben shook his head. "No."

"Do you know where the hospital is?"

Ben swallowed. "No?" he got out. It seemed that his plan, however heroic did have some flaws.

"To the left," Mara instructed.

Ben changed the indicator light, looking out for an opening again. It was difficult to concentrate though, with Mara sighing under the assault of another contraction.

"When I tell you, don't think, just go," she finally bit out.

Ben nodded.

"Go!"

Ben hit the accelerator and the speeder jumped into the flowing traffic. It took him a few seconds to adjust to the speed others.

"Hurry!"

Without thinking, he floored the throttle and began to slalom through the traffic at breakneck speed.

"Right," Mara instructed, and Ben obey immediately.

He did not feel any better when he realized that if he had turned off just a second later, they would have ended up in a nasty crash. He began to feel frantic. _I should be calm, _he repeated to himself. _Calm and relaxed. I am a Jedi, I can do this. The Force is with me._

But somehow it was extremely difficult to stay calm while Mara was having another contraction, his last turn had brought him onto the wrong line, and the oncoming traffic did not let him get back to his own lane.

"Left," Mara commanded, her voice twisted by the pain shooting through her.

Without thinking, Ben swerved to the left, but suddenly the backside of a small restaurant loomed up before him. He pulled the wheel as far left as he could, barely managing to get the speeder back into the street. He was too busy keeping from crashing into other road users to hear the honking hooting around him.

It seemed unfair that now, when he was dependent on Mara's guidance, the contractions should make it so unreliable. How was he supposed to know he if should so as she said or -

"Left."

Ben didn't hesitate a second. He almost crashed through the rear of a catering speeder and saw the hospital flash by to his right. Mara hadn't said anything, but a quick sideways glance revealed, that the only sounds Mara would utter for a while were nasty variations of 'ouch'.

He turned the speeder in the middle of the lane, ignored all cursing and shouting, and raced back to the hospital. When he turned into the driveway, he almost ran over a nurse pushing a wheelchair, and rarely managed to stop before the speeder crashed into the backdoors of an emergency transport. Not waiting for the shut down to complete, Ben jumped over the door and ran towards the entrance.

His arrival had not gone unnoticed, and a nurse met him halfway up, pushing a stretcher along. She was followed by two doctors who seemed equipped for anything but a birth, but Ben didn't stop to worry. He grabbed the other side of the stretcher.

"My mom," he gasped, "she's having a child and-"

"No worries, the nurse interrupted him. "Now that she's here, she'll be fine." Seeing that he was not really calming down any she decided to distract him. "Do you have a licence to fly?"

"No," Ben replied irritated. What did that have to do with anything?

"If you keep flying like that, you'll never get one either." The woman smiled at him and winked. "Where's your father?"

"I'm here," a voice called from behind them before Ben could answer. Luke approached them in a quick jog, looking neither worried nor exhausted. "I came as soon as I got your message. How's Mara?"

"Snappish."

"Good, nothing to worry about then." He gave his son a wink.

Ben stood around, feeling rather unnecessary, as his mother was placed on the stretcher. Luke was holding her hand, talking to her softly and smoothing stray strands hair from her face. All he could understand from the conversation was his aunt's name. She had been there, helping Mara through her first birth, so it seemed logical, that Mara asked for her again now.

"I'll get aunt Leia," Ben shouted, happy to have something to do. He jumped back into the speeder. "Don't worry, dad, mom showed me all the important bits about speeding."

The landspeeder took off with a screech, doubled back with one half of it repulsing from a wall and shot into the street.

"He's just like you, when you were young," Mara accused her husband.

"Just without the sand," Luke agreed, unable to hide a proud grin.


End file.
